Who are Physical and Sensory Support?
We are a specialist education team, working to ensure children and students get the most out of their education.
We work with families, education settings and children and young people, aged 0 to 25 who have one or more of the following:
- a need for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC);
- physical disability;
- a diagnosis of sensory impairment:
- deafness
- vision impairment
- multisensory impairment, a combination of deafness and vision impairment.
We also work with other professionals from health, social services and voluntary organisations, as well as disability advisors and needs assessors.
Our team is made up of:
- specialist teachers
- specialist teaching assistants
- student support workers
- a specialist audiology technician for deafness
- an education audiologist
- a specialist support officer for access to communication and learning
- a specialist support officer for equipment and adaptations
- British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters
- specialist notetakers and Higher Education specialist support professionals
- a deaf instructor
- a specialist speech and language therapist for AAC. This person leads our Access to Communication and Learning team.
What does PSS do?
Our main aim is to ensure that children and students can access their learning environment and get the most out of their education.
To do this, we:
- Work with and give advice to children and students.
- Work with and give advice to the families and support networks of these children and students.
- Give advice to settings to support children and students to get the most from their education.
- Deliver training to widen awareness and knowledge.
- Deliver BSL courses in settings on request for staff, children and students.
- Facilitate communication between deaf and hearing people.
- Support students in further and higher education in Surrey.
- Provide in-class and tutorial support to students in further and higher education settings in Surrey.
- Provide specialist equipment to support access to learning and communication for children and students.
We provide support in a variety of environments. This includes our Local Authority schools, early years settings and at home where this is appropriate.
We also offer additional chargeable services to colleges, universities, and independent schools to include providing interpreters for school meetings, training and events according to availability. See our key contacts and charges page for more information.
Who do I contact for more information?
Email: pssbs@surreycc.gov.uk for the Home and Schools 0 to 19 team.
Email: pss.post@surreycc.gov.uk for the Further/Higher Education (FHE) 16+ team (Post 16 support).
